Family-owned Brian’s 24 (828 Sixth Ave., 619-702-8410 or brians24.com) is a 24-hour eatery — because anytime’s the right time for buttermilk hot cakes and breakfast tacos with rib-eye steak. Their $29 Pancake Monster is free if you gobble it all by yourself ... in under an hour. Otherwise this freakish calorie stack — three fried eggs, five hot cakes, four bacon strips, two sausage patties, ham, country-fried steak and french fries — could feed five people.

Make crucial contact with a fish taco — San Diego and Baja California’s food ambassador — at the Tin Fish (170 Sixth Ave., downtown. 619-238-8100 or tinfishgaslamp.com), right across from the Convention Center.

MORE CHEAP EATS:

Keep an eye out for food trucks, which typically park in the lot across from the Convention Center during Comic-Con. Follow their daily locations at sdfoodtrucks.com.

More of high-rise made of bread and meat than a simple sandwich, the signature item at Bolillo Tortas (417 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp. 619-255-6268 or bolillotortas.com) is the torta. An informal hunger-buster common in Mexico, you can have a warm carne asada torta with avocado, mayo, tomato and red onions for $9.50.

Born right here in San Diego, the Broken Yolk Café (355 Sixth Ave., downtown. 619-338-9655 or thebrokenyolkcafe.com) is a yesteryear chain that plays up its “eggs with ...” menu, as well as that time their Broken Yolk Iron Man Challenge was on “Man v. Food.” (Their dozen-egg omelet with chili and so much shredded cheese was devoured by host Adam Richman.)

You’re not Tony Stark, so forget steakhouses and haute restaurant burgers. Get tasty at a reasonable price at Hodad’s (945 Broadway, downtown. 619-234-6323 or hodadies.com), a local fave known for massive double-patty burgers (under $10), shakes and humble origins in Ocean Beach. There’s also Burger Lounge (528 Fifth Ave., Gaslamp Quarter. 619-955-5727 or burgerlounge.com), an organic, grassfed-beef promoting chainlet that started in Coronado.

It’s an eatery easily mistaken for a tattoo parlor, and get a combo plate at Pokez Mexican Restaurant (947 E St., East Village. 619-702-7160 or pokezsd.com). They’ve got graffitied walls, chicken enchiladas, shrimp quesadillas and the like. And Pokez is sought out by local vegans and vegetarians for its animal-free offerings (e.g. lard-free beans, tortillas and chips!).